Longtime Thibodaux jewelry store shutting its doors

Sunday

Nov 14, 2010 at 12:01 AM

Kathrine SchmidtStaff Writer

HOUMA — Clyde’s Jewelers will end a 61-year run as a prominent Thibodaux business when it closes its doors this year.For Gary Naquin, who has owned the business at 809 St. Mary St. for nearly 20 years, it’s time to retire. And thanks to the comparison-shopping power of the Internet and megastores, the family-owned, local jewelry business is not what it once was.Still, it’s a career he loved. “Everything,” said Naquin, 69, when asked what he liked best. “The people, the knowledge of gems and diamonds.”Liquidation sales will continue through the end of the year, though a firm closing date has not been set.The store was founded in 1949 by Clyde Dennis, and moved out of the downtown to its present shopping-center home in the 1970s. Naquin is a native of Thibodaux who graduated from Thibodaux High and Nicholls State University. He’s a graduate of the Gemological Institute of America who started his career in the business in 1964, working for 27 years at nearby Peacock Jewelers. He bought the business from Dennis in 1991.Harold Block, a Thibodaux attorney, knows Naquin back from when he worked for his father, Ferd Block, in that store.“He was very knowledgeable jeweler, very good with customers,” Block said. “I’m sure his business will be missed in Thibodaux ... It’s just another sad example of a local business that’s closing.”Kathy Benoit, CEO of the Thibodaux Chamber of Commerce, said the business had been active in the community for decades, and Naquin had been involved with the chamber and other community groups. “Gary is always a delight. He is a great businessman,” Benoit said. “(Clyde’s) played an important role in the community for a long time.”Naquin’s favorite time of the year was Christmas, with glimmering decorations and the hustle and bustle of holiday orders. Sometimes he would even make deliveries on Christmas Day if orders arrived late to the store. He’s helped countless uncertain men pick out necklaces, earrings, watches and other pieces for their loved ones, and choose engagement rings for fiancees. Most go with his selection. “Ninety-nine percent of the time, it’s a go,” he said.He typically gets to meet the lucky lady when she comes in to have the ring sized. He also repaired jewelry and replaced watch batteries, even when customers bought pieces elsewhere.While Thibodaux customers prefer simple and traditional pieces over trendy ones, he has seen styles evolve over time. When he first started his career, most customers wanted a traditional brilliant-cut diamond. That evolved to the more oval-shaped marquise cut in the 1980s, which stayed popular for about a decade. Today a princess cut, which has a square face, is most popular.Some women want their husbands to choose their diamonds for them, while others know exactly what they want.Through the years, however, women ultimately want the same thing, he says.“They want diamonds, as big as they can get,” Naquin said.

Staff Writer Kathrine Schmidt can be reached at 857-2204 or Kathrine.schmidt@houmatoday.com.